We met with a very nice doctor who I swear was probably just out of medical school (at least he looked that young) and he did a great job with Sam and explaining the process of the outpatient procedure to me. He agreed that the surgery itself would not be made more difficult by the fact that Sam is autistic. He said they would give him a sedative to relax him prior to surgery and that when he is wheeled into the OR he would be pretty loosey goosey and then they would put the mask on to help him fall asleep and then after he is out they would put in the IV.
Sounds like a really good plan to me!
The most difficult part, to say the least, will be the post-op recuperation when Sam will not be able to eat his typical favorite foods: grilled cheese sandwiches and my homemade chocolate chip cookies. He will be on a very soft diet for at least a week and will need to take pain medications orally every few hours. As I have mentioned in a number of posts my kids do not take oral medications because of their strong flavor. No attempts in bribery, threats, or pleading will get them to swallow it. They will either throw it back up or just stop accepting all food and drink in retaliation.
Over this weekend I have spoken to a number of friends about my fears and I have received some very good questions to ask the doctor regarding pain management. One friend recommended I ask the Pediatrician about the use of pain patches that are placed on the skin and release the needed medication that way. I think this would be a great idea if its available for children given Sam's love for band-aids. Another good friend, who has a child with ADD, mentioned that after her son's tonsillectomy he did not want or seem to need any pain medications and was even riding his bike in the driveway the same day. She said the doctor had told her that because of her son's brain receptors working overtime as they do the pain messages in the brain are more muted and are not received as easily as they would for a typical person's brain. I think this is very promising news given Sam has always had an extremely high threshold for pain and often does not seem bothered by injuries that would have you or I screaming for morphine. So, all in all I am feeling more optimistic at the moment.
But, I have always preferred to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
